yellow streetlight

here's how my day started off:

- took my lipgloss out of my purse. opened it. immediately dropped it on my cat-hair filled floor.

i thought, "i hope today isn't another yesterday."

did i pick the cat hair off the gloss and still use it? you betcha. hey, it was pineapple flavor. you would have done it too.

ok, maybe it was a little gross.

anyways. then i got dressed and went to staff meeting. from 12:15p to 3:30p.

then came back upstairs to my apartment and my dad almost immediately called! he was turning onto my street!!!!

he's staying with me for a few nights. probably until saturday morning. i was very happy when he arrived. and we instantly jumped into an old Evans tradition - made a pot of coffee, hopped on the couch and cracked open a bag of potato chips. only the finest.

actually, the very first thing we did was investigate the strange smell. and much to my surprise - he couldn't smell anything. and when he momentarily would smell something, he said it did not smell dangerous.

i can still smell it through my whole kitchen. but, at least i have someone telling me it doesn't smell dangerous.

which also leads me to believe that something is wrong with me. phantom smells? isn't that a symptom of a brain tumor? that's what i remember from Grey's.

anyways. i didn't die last night in my sleep. and so far, we're all still okay.

but i woke up this morning at 7:45am to feed Ruby and the first thing i thought was, "hey! i woke up!!! i'm not dead!!" and i thought the exact same thing when i woke up again at 8:30, and again at 11am. it was an exciting morning.

anyways. it's fun having my dad here. we hung out here for a bit and then went out to dinner at this italian restaurant, Lui Lui's, in west lebanon. i had a bbq chicken calzone with pineapple added. delish. my dad had spaghetti and meatballs. also delish.

then we came back here and relaxed. watched some Entourage. loves it. oh, i love that show so much.

the episode when Ari goes to the headmaster's house and pleads to him to let his son into the school? aw. so good.

and now it's 10:27pm. i hope it's a quiet night at work.

tomorrow is wednesday. i have to go to the post office. i believe my red plaid shirt is waiting for me. SUPER excited slash nervous.

hm. what else can i tell you?

Ruby is happy to have my dad here.

i started listening to this Jason Schwartzman interview on KCRW radio. the show, Morning Becomes Eclectic, hosted by Jason Bentley. i haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but what i heard was very funny. Jason is totes hilairs!!! (totes hilarious.....not sure if that abbrev worked out) and he was also like, a guest DJ, so he got to play music. and he played and Julian Casablancas song!! 'Glass' which is a great song. and he dedicated a song to his dog, Arrow, which was so funny. he was like, "Arrow, I know you don't speak English...or any other language as far as I can tell, but if you're listening, this one is for you." oh, he's so adorable.

and speaking of J.Schwartz, i recently let my dad borrow The Darjeeling Limited - which he loved - and he told me that he thought that there were a few scenes in the movie where Jason reminded him of himself when he was younger. i guess with the long hair and moustache. i thought that was pretty cool.

did i tell you about the portuguese muffin i had? yeah. i think i did. that was a pretty big story. .....

hm. what else? there must be something! a whole DAY has passed.

i dropped my cell phone on the ground today and it split into three pieces. but then i put it back together. GREAT!

i still smell something funny. something not right. we tested my oven and burners. everything worked, and nothing exploded. that must be a good sign.

anyways. i might get into bed and watch more Entourage. or watch an episode of Tell Me You Love Me. a new HBO show that andrew recommended. it's got Adam Scott. he's a funny guy. was in Knocked Up. he was on Veronica Mars. he's on Party Down. and on the show he's married to Penny from Lost.

the show is about these three different couples who all start seeing a sex therapist. and it's all different stories, with the same therapist. and somehow i think, the three stories will start to intertwine. i just started the show. it's good so far.

also so far: it's very enjoyable reading the tweets from Crash Kings as they start their first headlining tour. i hope they continue tweeting throughout the whole tour. mainly it's been about what kind of food they're currently eating. but hey - that's fine with me. they need to start making blog videos STAT. they would be a great blog video band.

alright, friends. sorry tonight hasn't been more active and exciting. the night is still young.

we're coming up on 11pm.

OK. why haven't i seen Avatar yet?!?! SERIOUSLY!! i can't figure this out. i need to see it asap before the Globes. WAIT!!! the Globes are on SUNDAY. uh oh. this could be a close call. maybe i'll go sunday afternoon.

THE GLOBES!!!!!! this will be my first award-show recap in the new blog!!!!! on my new laptop!!!!! ooo it's so exciting. and, if my sources are correct, both KATE and LEO will be attending the big event. we all know how that makes me feel. i can't even talk about it because it's too late to start freaking out with excitement.

oh man. kate and leo. remember last year when Kate DOMINATED the actress categories?!!?!? and she confessed her love for Leonardo in her Revolutionary Road speech. and she looked absolutely gorgeous. that was a great night. simply great.

has everyone seen the magazine cover with Kevin Jonas and his new wife?? is that not the happiest picture ever?? the smile on his face is just so great. how can i be mad at him with that smile?? it's so big and excited.

ok. now it's 11:02pm. i guess now that's all i have to say.

ok, so i just realized that i am cold. and i also felt a breeze come in through my window. so i said, "hey, i'll check the temp!"

7. 7 degrees. seven. at 11pm. remember last night it was 22 degrees at like, 2am?!?!! what gives?!?!? the temp last night must have been wrong. 7 degrees sounds way more right.

it's 11 degrees in Berwick. 11 degrees in Concord. 14 degrees in Nashua. 48 degrees in Comox, British Columbia. that's F, not C.

i wish i had gone to meteorology school. i think that stuff is fascinating. i suppose there's still time.

alright.

i'm really tired tonight. i have been tired ever since i woke up. i must have been subconsciously stressed out over whether or not i would die in my sleep. and didn't really get some good z's.

Ruby Tuesday must be sleeping with my dad. i don't see her anywhere.

OH i should go to the bank tomorrow. don't let me forget.

ok. i think now i'll get into bed and watch tv on my laptop. aahhh the wonders of 2010.

ya know, i hate writing that year. it feels so obnoxious. anyone else feel this way? i just don't like it. it's like the Regina George of years. the queen bee. the mean girl. anyone second this?

ok. NOW. i think i will sign off.

goodnight friends!! i'll talk to you again soon. have lovely nights and days and everything in between.



<3

off day

i had a very off day. everything i did was whacked. (or is it simply, 'whack?')

i decided to make a list in order of the crazy/whack things i did that did not make any sense:

1. tried to open my car door without unlocking it
2. again, tried to open my car door without unlocking it
3. put on my turn signal for absolutely no reason, in the middle of a straight road and didn't realize it for like, 15 seconds
4. tried to open my apartment door without unlocking it
5. forgot to feed Ruby Tuesday. she normally gets supper at around 9pm. i didn't remember until midnight. and i almost cried because i felt so bad.
6. dropped a plastic cup full of iced tea in my kitchen

that's 6. what was i thinking today? or, actually i think the problem was that i wasn't thinking at all. the turn signal thing really snapped be into reality. i was like, "holy crap i'm driving and i need to pay attention right now."

and i felt really bad about forgetting to feed ruby tuesday. she was bugging me for food and i said to her, "ruby, you just ate...... aw crap..." and then i got really sad.

i hope i am back on track tomorrow.

BACK ON TRACK.
ENOUGH WHACK.

that is my new motto. i will make it my facebook status immediately.

ok. 2:45am. i'm really tired. i was just downstairs dealing with a sick baby. i got sneezed on, coughed on and drooled on for like, 20 minutes. if that's not a recipe for getting sick, then i don't know what is. aw, it's so sad when babies are sick, though. because they can't do anything for themselves! they can't even blow their tiny noses.

alright. time to get into my bed. my house is still smelling like gas. i think it's gas. but, i had candles lit and nothing blew up. i also have a window open which is counterproductive to everything a heater stands for.

maybe i'll turn the heat down tonight.

it's currently 22 degrees. 22 degrees!!!!! at nighttime!!!! that's like, 70. i was expecting it to be like, 4 degrees. 22. that's not bad at all. yeah, i'll turn the heat down so i don't die in my sleep.

i've survived so far with no problems.

ALTHOUGH, i think it might be a stink bug. because i was reading that some people are allergic to their smell. AND TONIGHT, i had a major allergy attack. eyes were itchy and BURNING, couldn't breathe, nose was all stuffed. it was agony for like, 25 minutes. and then i got over it.

anyways. what was i saying? oh yeah. if i die in my sleep - don't forget my itunes playlist for my funeral. it's not perfected yet, but i guess it'll have to do. it's called '6 feet under.'

yeah, it's a little weird. maybe. (and remember, kara gets all my teal things.) i guess i'm just a little bit of Harold (from harold and maude) mixed with a little bit of Elle Woods. i think it all evens out.

ANYWAYS. julie go to sleep. it's 2:54am. staff meeting is at 12:15 today instead of 12:30. that means i have to get up earlier. i was thinking like, 11:30.

ok. i have to go to bed. i'm super tired. and super wiggity whack. i don't know what i'm talking about.

but, goodnight!!! have wonderful tuesdays.


<3

cold case

i'm on a mission to find the bad smell in my house. maybe someone reading this is a detective. here's what happened:

- my house smelled fine all day
- i left to go run some errands around 6pm
- i came home around 7:15pm and the house smelled bad

i cannot find the smell! i washed all the dirty dishes in the sink. i checked the fridge. i can't find it anywhere. it seems to be coming from the kitchen. it's not a garbage smell. i thought it might be my gas oven. because it kind of smells like rotten gas. and then i thought, "aw man, i bet it's carbon monoxide." and then i googled it, and carbon monoxide is odorless, which is why people die from it.

weird though, because for some reason i have been stressing out over my carbon monoxide detectors. the past couple nights before i go to sleep i lay there thinking, 'i wonder if i will die of carbon monoxide poisoning tonight.' that's a true story.

and then i thought it might be my heater. because when the guy came to clean it, remember he said, "if you smell anything funny, turn it off and give us a call." but i don't know if it's that. i guess i could turn it off an notice if the smell goes away. but that would be really cold.

i am worried that it's one of those stink bugs. hiding somewhere. i had one of those before up here. kara was here. it was HUGE. and it smelled really bad. but i can't remember if it smelled like this.

i lit some candles. but, that makes me even more nervous because if it is coming from my gas oven, should i have open flames in the house? but then again, i have the heater, which is basically a fireplace.

nothing's exploded yet.

man. i hope i don't die in an explosion tonight.

i think Ruby smells it too. because she keeps sniffing around frantically by my oven. maybe that is what it is.

ok. so i just googled some things. i don't think it's the gas oven. because i have an electric gas oven, which i just learned. (i still hate it)

it doesn't smell like rotten eggs, i don't think. because that might indicate a natural gas leak.

ugh. maybe there's a stink bug under my oven. that would be confusing.

anyways. i was going to make pancakes for supper tonight, but maybe i won't. i won't use the oven.

i also don't think it's a natural gas leak because i read not to use any electrical things, even your cell phone because that could cause an electrical spark. and, i have a ton of lights on. and my cell phone is on. and i'm listening to my ipod right now. i just hung up a bunch of twinkle lights in my cave room. it looks oh so pretty and comforting. i really want to start using that room. at first i thought it was too far away from everything to be a good room.

but now, if i have to walk a little distance to get to things in the apartment i feel like more of a real person.

HEY. MAINE PEOPLE. people who read this who live in maine. YOU are in for a treat.

CRASH KINGS are coming to PORTLAND!!!! on 6 FEBRUARY 2010. THE ASYLUM is where they're playing.

enjoy. and, you're welcome.

ok. it's 9:13pm. i have to go to work soon.

i slept so much last night. i went to bed around 2:15am and woke up at 12:35pm. i was feeling blah. i think tonight might be an early night too.

hey, guess what i'm wearing right now!??!! RED PLAID. flannel. YEP. i got a package from my dad in the mail today and in it was a red plaid flannel shirt!!! it's pretty big. i think it's a men's XXL, so i'm wearing it as a sleep shirt. it's so warm and fulfilling. i feel super cool. hopefully it will keep me warm if i have to turn off my heat due to a gas leak. it's awesome. i love it.


THERE IT IS!!!! there i am!!!! with special guest on my lap: ruby tuesday. she was looking up at me and closing her eyes.

ok. i guess that's all for now.

i had a breakfast sandwich today on a portuguese muffin. i didn't know what that was, but i asked the lady and she said it was like an english muffin, only sweeter and less cake-ier. i said, "okay, that sounds good." and it was!! it was great.

ok. now that's all.

actually. last night the lights in the house kept dimming. it was like a minor brown out. maybe that has something to do with the smell. if it's electrical.

oh, i have no idea. but, i'll talk to you all soon. have a great monday night.



<3

short shifter shape shifter

hey all.

working right now. I KNOW what you must be thinking. "but julie, it's a sunday morning, why aren't you warm in your flannel sheets sleeping the day away?" and my answer to that is this, "i was called saturday evening and asked if i would work sunday from 8am until 1pm. my thought process was this:

- i woke up at 1pm today,
- that means that i might be able to go to sleep by 2am,
- and then that will give me at least 5 hours of sleep,
- eh, i guess i can work

and then i said i could work."

of course, i got into bed at 2:30am and didn't fall asleep until around 3:20. i couldn't get comfortable and i wasn't tired. i hate having to force myself to sleep.

and then i woke up

once - because ruby tuesday was right in my face
twice - because i had to sneeze
three times - because i had to sneeze again

and then for good at 7:25am. got up. made coffee. told Ruby that she had just eaten at 2am and it was still too early for her breakfast. she wasn't happy to hear that.

then i got dressed. turned a sweater into a cardigan. made oatmeal and went to work.

i really debated about cutting the sweater. it's a navy blue sweater that i never wear. and a few times this week i have thought to myself, "i wish i had a navy blue sweater cardigan." and then i would look longingly at the sweater hanging in my closet that i never wear. and so this morning was the final straw and i cut it. i think i might go buy wooden buttons to sew on so it looks more profesh.

awesome.

i'm quite liking it.

ANYWAYS. i have two things to tell you about:

1. my delicious dinner that i cooked for myself
2. Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

actually, i might tell you about those things in the reverse order.

let's get going.

PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT

um. okay. not as good as the first one. written by Shonda Rhimes, which i wasn't expecting. and as it goes with most sequels, they really played off the strong points in the first one to try and make the second one funnier. such as, the clumsiness of Princess Mia. she was constantly knocking things over, tripping, accidentally hurting people, etc.

most of the cast was the same. including Julie Andrews. and her friend Lilly. they added characters such as Raven Simone and Abigail Breslin. AND. did you know that Chris Pine was the guy?!!? the NEW love interest?!!?! did you know and didn't tell me!!?!? i didn't know until i saw the opening credits. and then i was shocked/excited.

Robert Schwartzman obviously wasn't in it. Anne Hathaway did this huge long voiceover montage at the beginning and she was like, "and i'm sure you all are wondering what happened between me and Michael....well, we're just friends now, and he's currently touring the country with his band." and that was it. he's on tour with his band. which, makes sense.

now, the movie is called "Royal Engagement" so obviously we assume there is an engagement. and with engagements come all the normal before wedding activities. let me sum this up in four words:

BRIDAL SHOWER SLUMBER PARTY

yep. this scene lasted like, 15 minutes. a huge bridal shower slumber party where Princess Mia invited all the young princesses from around the world. their slumber party included karaoke (in which julie andrews was coaxed into singing a song with Raven), mattress surfing down the main staircase and lots of pink pajamas.

it was a pretty crazy party. it was so intense.

also, Chris Pine. yeah. he had a great head of hair in this movie. and boy was he dashing. at first they liked each other, and then of course he was the enemy of the whole family, all the while she was engaged to someone else, but they were still in love, and then in the end she can't marry the other guy cause she's so in love with chris pine. and then there's a big twist ending, which i won't reveal.

all in all, i gave it 3 stars.

also, Anne Hathaway's wardrobe wasn't so great. they put her in a lot of skirt suits. and too much makeup. which made her look funny.

but, throughout the whole thing, especially when Princess Mia was preparing to take over as queen, it was very emotional thinking about when she was still in high school. like, before her big makeover. and remembering back to when she was working at the rock climbing place. before she even found out she was a princess. it was very cool to watch her grow.

ALSO - her mom ends up marrying her debate teacher, Mr. O'Connell. and HE'S in the second one. that was weird. and it must have been weird for Mia too. to have her high school teacher marry her mom and then come to her wedding and coronation ceremony. i would have thought it was weird, if i were Princess Mia.

anyways. enough about PD 2.


THE GREAT DELICIOUS DINNER I COOKED FOR MYSELF

so, as many of you may remember, i talked about cooking myself a great, delicious dinner last night.

the recipe = coconut mango chicken with black beans and coconut rice.

the result = totes delish.

it started out gross because the chicken was frozen and uncooked. and i hate it. ugh it's so disgusting. and it was sooo cold. and all Ruby Tuesday wanted to do was be right next to me on the counter while i cut it up. and i was getting so frustrated with her because she just wouldn't stay on the ground. and i was worried she was going to get sick from all the uncooked chicken.

but then i finally got things together and the chicken was ready to be cooked in the frying pan.

- i put some oil in the frying pan and cooked the chicken in strips
- then added coriander
- then added chicken broth
- that mixture simmered for a few minutes
- then i took the chicken off the stove and put it on a plate
- then added the coconut milk to the frying pan
- then added the mango chunks
- let that boil down for a little while
- then put the chicken back in the frying pan and let it all cook together for a little while

meanwhile,

- i was simmering black beans mixed with lime juice on another burner

and also meanwhile,

- i was boiling basmati rice on another burner
- but instead of cooking the rice with water, i cooked it with coconut milk

EVERYTHING came out really well. the rice burned a little bit on the bottom, and i think next time i would do half coconut milk, half water to make it less thick. next time i would also buy frozen mango chunks instead of buying a fresh mango and cutting it. that mango was a super pain to cut. and it was sooo juicy and sticky. it was just a mess.

other than that, everything was great. if you had a bite with the chicken, mango, beans and rice altogether - oh, it was the best. the chicken had a really good flavor, which i kind of wasn't expecting. there was more coconut flavor than i was expecting. and the mango made it all sweet.

ooooo it was so good. and i was so proud of myself for cooking up a whole dinner.

the black beans were sooooo good. just a can of black beans mixed with two tablespoons of lime juice (plus a little bit extra because i love lime). super easy, and super delish!!!!

so, great recipe. i'll definitely make it again. but make sure that the chicken is all defrosted and ready to be cut, instead of having to deal with it being all cold.

and i have leftovers!! i bet they will be really good because all the flavors will have had time to really mingle together overnight.


ok. done with work and back home now. we watched Finding Nemo. hadn't seen that movie for a while. pretty easy day. now i'm off until 9pm.

i might take a nap now because i'm pretty tired and didn't get much sleep. Ruby had breakfast when i came home just after one.

alright, i hope you have a wonderful sunday.

SUNDAY-FUNDAY!!!!!! you know it.

take care. talk to you soon,


<3

gonna leave it for the morning in the afterlife

man. it's sunny today, am i right? yes. too sunny. i actually woke up this morning (afternoon, actually) and thought to myself, "man, i wish it were cloudy like yesterday. for serious.

and i've just been sitting on my couch waiting for the sun to set. and it's finally happening. i've always known that i prefer cloudy days to sunny ones, but today it's actually a conscious thought. now that it's sunset, i am going to go out to the grocery store.

but first, i wanted to blog to let you know what's up. i didn't blog yesterday and i don't really know why. let's get going:

1. in my second viewing of Entourage, i have noticed that the show makes great use of the color orange. it's everywhere. Turtle wears a lot of orange, Ari Gold wears it, it's the color of the walls and couch in the Miller Gold Agency. it was the color of both Ari's scarf and the cute driver's scarf in the episode where they go to Sundance. it's everywhere. i think the show is shot with orange lighting to make it sparkle. just like they shot Reese Witherspoon in pink lighting for Legally Blonde.

anyways. in this orange revelation, i have realized that i don't own anything orange. and it was really the cute driver's scarf at Sundance that did it for me. so now, i am going to be the owner of an orange scarf. i couldn't find one at any store that i liked, and that captured the scarf vision that i wanted. so, i decided to take matters into my own hands.

i went to the fabric store, bought some "pumpkin" colored yarn - and i'm knitting one!!!! i started last night. it's going pretty well so far. just a simple knit and purl. i tried to follow a fancy pattern, but i was getting a head of myself. i haven't knit since LAST christmas. so, i was a little out of practice. but, i did a tiny practice run, and decided i just wanted to jump in.

i'm excited about it. although, the yarn is very curly. meaning, the edges are curling up. i have faith that once it's longer it will have more shape to it. i think i might add tassels in the end. at first, i didn't want tassels. but then i thought, "wait, who doesn't want tassels?" so, i think it's a go.

i've never knit anything for myself before. actually, i've only ever knit one thing before, and it was a pink and brown striped scarf for kara that came out freaking amazing. it was my first knitting project. pretty proud of that scarf.

this yarn is a thicker yarn, so i kind of wanted it to be simple. i thought if there was a fancy pattern, on top of the thick yarn, it would get to be too much.

and i don't actually think i'm going to look good with the orange scarf around my neck. whatevs. i'll still be proud to wear it.


2. i am very excited about the dinner i am making myself tonight. Coconut Mango Chicken with Black Beans and Coconut Rice. yum, right? i know. i am combining two recipes to create a super delish one. i have most of the ingredients already, which is why i'm so excited about it. it will be cheap to make. i'll let you know how it goes. maybe i'll even photo diary my way through cooking it. the chicken is defrosting in the fridge as we speak.


3. my boss let me borrow her Ingrid Michaelson CD. 'Everybody.' great cd. she has such a pretty voice. and, it's the first time i've really noticed how well the tracks are in order. like, it really feels like a complete cd. all the track placement is smooth and thought out. nice.


4. if you've been listening to me this past month, you know that i'm doing everything in my power to get you all to become super fans of Crash Kings. which you should be. because they are totally wonderful. now, in my effort to continue this, i am posting this link to some solo performances that Tony did for KROQ 106.7 FM in Los Angeles. there was one morning a few months ago that i listened to KROQ online for like, 2 hours because i read a rumor via Twitter that Jason Schwartzman was going to be doing a Coconut Records interview at noontime. so, i listened from like, 11am to 1pm and then realized that LA was three hours behind. yep. i am embarrassed to admit that. my math skills were blinded by Coconut Records.

anyways. i learned via Crash Kings twitter this week that they were doing some in-studio performances on KROQ and then they finally posted the videos yesterday. i thought it was going to be the entire trio of guys performing, but it's just Tony solo with piano. GREAT STUFF. for realz.

and if you'll take my word when i say that this band is freaking amazing, you'll watch these videos.

so, the first link up there is to the main radio website. and the second link is the link to the page with the videos. you also get some great shots of the hott tattoo. yep.


5. hm. alright. i think that might be all for now.


6. the other night i had a dream that i was going to this fancy party and couldn't decide how to wear my hair. and it was a super huge crisis. i wanted to wear it down, but couldn't find any fancy and quick ways to do so. the dream bordered on nightmare, it was so horrific.


7. ok. now i think that's all.


8. oh. in keeping the conversation going about my new wardrobe colors, last night i had a vision of myself wearing the red plaid shirt WITH the orange scarf. how crazy is that? 9 days into the new year and i'm already a new person. this broadening of my wardrobe colors is blowing my mind.


9. alright. i can't think of any other ways to make this longer.


10. my number 10 is my goodbye. i hope you have a wonderful saturday night. be safe and have fun. you may be going out to a crazy party, or out with friends, or heck, maybe you even have a hott date. have fun. drive safe. drink lots of water. love you.


until next time,

<3.

to keep me on the top of your mind

so, i wasn't going to blog tonight. i admit. i was tired. and i wanted to go to sleep early. but, it's 1:40am. and i got tired of not blogging. alas, here i sit.

had a good day. busy day. busy night. work. work. work. and some more work. it seemed. and after i was so happy to be home after a super hectic night - i was called back down to work.

i cooked dinner tonight. pork chops. i had never cooked pork chops before in my life. but, now i have. i don't really like pork. but, everybody ate them and actually really liked it. so, that was good. i used an old recipe dating back to the beginning of time. you may know it. it's called 'Shake and Bake.' but, i didn't shake. i dipped. and baked.

i was burning cds last night for one of the residents here and she wanted the song 'Shake It' by Metro Station. and i debated whether or not i would switch it out for 'I'm Shakin' by Rooney. they sound pretty similar. except the Rooney song is way better. and instead of being sung by Miley Cyrus' bro, it's sung by Jason Schwartzman's bro. again, way cooler.

and, i just have to share this with you - i downloaded another song for her. it's a song by Ludacris. and, it's called - wait for it - Blueberry Yum Yum.

BLUEBERRY YUM YUM.

THAT is the name of a song. are we 2 years old? nay, 1. 2 year olds have better language skills than that. come on. what the heck could that song be about??? yogurt?? muffins?? pancakes!?! really Ludacris? REALLY? you HAD to name your song Blueberry Yum Yum?

THAT'S a dealbreaker. if a man names a song Blueberry Yum Yum - that's a dealbreaker.

and that was my Liz Lemon impression. also - Ludacris was so good in Crash. why does he have to go name a song that?

just call it Blueberry.

anyways. i once again downloaded a lot of songs that i am ashamed of. titles that i will never repeat. songs that i will NEVER listen to. i can't understand how people can listen to hip hop and rap constantly. probably how some other people can't understand how i can listen to Crash Kings for 3 days straight.

SEGUE.

speaking of Crash Kings.....THEY'RE COMING BACK TO BOSTON!!!!! on 31 january. that's in just a few weeks. I'M GOING. are you going? I AM. $9. NINE DOLLARS. that's like, free. that band is worth way more than nine dollars. that's less than i paid for their whole cd on itunes.

this is their SECOND EVER Boston show. their first boston show was with Rooney. the one that we saw. cool, right?

OH. i'm super excited. i will wear my red plaid shirt. when i get it.

Crash Kings have wonderful songs about being outside. i realized that. they have a great song about winter, a great song about a rainstorm, and a great song about climbing a mountain.

yeah. i'm really excited. they're going to be so famous. soon. in like, five minutes pretty much. yeah. so great.

and i learned that the Clavinet that Tony plays is one of 100 in the whole world. that's crazy, right? yep.

anyways. it's 1:58am. i should just stay up. the food delivery will be here soon. well, it comes at 7:45am. usually. still way to early. why does food need to come that early? i don't know.

ok, i admit it. i'm kind of looking forward to seeing my friend who delivers the food. remember last month he told me that he quit smoking? that's when we became friends. i see him once a month. that's more than i see most of my friends.

i don't think i have anything planned for today. or this weekend.

oh wait - yes i do. today i am having a Princess Diaries marathon. YEP. you read that right. PRINCESS. DIARIES. MARATHON. i have the second one from Netflix and then i thought, "i should just watch the first one too and make a day of it!" so good. i'm looking forward to it.

OH OH OH!!!!!! omg, i can't believe this wasn't the first thing i talked about.

JULIAN CASABLANCAS. on Letterman. happened wednesday night!! did anybody watch? i've had his performance as a tab in my Firefox browser alllll day so i wouldn't forget to post it for you.

Julian Casablancas on David Letterman performing, 'Out of the Blue.'

the sound on the video is a little quiet. but, the performance is amazing. so many people on stage creating that beautiful song. that's my favorite song. loves it. it just looks like a bunch of people got together and said, "hey, you wanna play this song? yeah? great! let's go!" there's two drummers, two keyboardists, two guitars, and one Julian. awesome.

he's in Boston TONIGHT. friday night. YEP. am i going? nope. bummer man. i would have gone if i had enough notice and someone to go with.

ugh. okay. now i'm not looking forward to the food delivery. i would rather sleep instead of carry freezing, heavy boxes of food at 7:45 in the morning.

i think i might go to bed soon. i was tired all night at work. my alarm didn't go off this morning again. i've been using the alarm on my cell phone. it is so lame. it will randomly shut itself off. without ever going off. i don't understand it.

i wish i had some ice cream right now. raspberry chocolate chip ice cream. i haven't had that in a long time.

(omg i'm so excited about crash kings in boston i can't even stand it)

ahh, alright. i guess it's that time of night. the time when i go to bed. 2:29am.

Ruby has been trying to get me to go to bed for a while. she's tired. and she was sleeping on the couch when i was watching a movie, but then i got up, and she had to get up too. and then she was all mad that i got off the couch.

interesting, right? yeah.

so. oh yeah. i was going to bed.

ok. have a wonderfully perfect friday. i hope everything goes just as it should. i will be sad that you're not here with me watching my Princess Diaries marathon. maybe i'll make popcorn. i'll let you know how PD #2 is.

love to you. talk to you soon...


<3

1985

that's how much my purchase at JoAnn's Fabrics came to this afternoon. the lady said it to me and i immediately wanted to start singing the Crash Kings song, '1985' to her.

anyways. i feel like i wanted to blog about something quickly before work. but now i can't remember what it was. it might have been the 1985 thing. but that's kind of a boring story. there must have been something else.

just got back from the post office. walter assisted me today. love him. not the ruggedly handsome one. he's a great guy too, though. as are all the postal workers at the lebanon post office. they could totes handle a drive-thru.

i already blogged about Julian Casablancas on Letterman tonight. this is his most recent tweet:

It's the first time the David Letterman studios have been warmer than the outside temperature ever.

i'm so excited for all the david letterman watchers tonight!!!! and i'm pretty bummed that i can't watch it. well, i guess i could. but that would mean leaving my apartment and sitting in the second floor lounge again. and after i did that all night the other night, i kind of don't want to again. i'll reserve that option for REALLY important tv nights - like the Golden Globes in a few weeks.

went to bed last night at around 4:30am. not too bad. i had intended to go to bed right after i stopped watching Entourage at 2:45am. but, then i just wasn't tired. but i was still able to get up by noontime today.

i'm in a really good mood today.

and i'm wearing lots of pink.

and i modeled my hairstyle today after Michelle Williams at the 2006 Oscars. yep. you're jealous, aren't you? i would be jealous of my hair if i saw it on the street.

man, i feel like there was something big and important to tell you. but, i guess not. i guess it was just my feelings of extreme excitement and happiness.

OH!!!! here's something.

i saw a man wearing a red plaid shirt today!!!!!

yeah. that's pretty big.

last night was a super quiet night at work. no calls.

umm. what else? what do you have to tell me? anything exciting?? come on. there must be something.

i took a nice bath last night. i've found a way to wear those little ipod headphones so they stay in my ears. wear them upside down and on the opposite ear. trust me.

umm. it's 3:19pm. i have to be at work at 3:30. i hope it's quiet tonight. it should be.

so, Sam Mendes is directing the next Bond movie? i'm not sure how i feel about that. it could either be REALLY good or REALLY bad. and also, why are they still making Bond movies?

i just sent a tweet to @crashkings. i wasn't very nervous about doing it. i feel like i know them because kara and i were in line in front of their parents at the show. we'll see.

ALSO, if people are on twitter, i have ONE person that you all need to follow.

@ALECKSU

alex greenwald from phantom planet. he is the best and most funniest tweeter ever. he always makes me laugh. it's sometimes very much like a blog video in written form.

ok. 3:27p. i guess i have to go to work now. excited to see courtney.

GREAT!!!!!! i'm in a good mood today, so everything will be fantastic. right? RIGHT!!

ok, LET'S GO HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!!!


<3

letterman + casablancas!

TONIGHT! WEDNESDAY! 6 JANUARY 2010!!

JULIAN CASABLANCAS WILL PERFORM ON DAVID LETTERMAN!!!! TONIGHT!!!


i can't watch it - BUT YOU CAN!!!! it's going to be awesome, i know it. don't you want to hear some good music?? YES! YES YOU DO!!!!


and that is all. (for now)


<3

"you can't say you'll start a revolution"

i just learned that in the year 2009 i blogged 296 times. keep in mind a few things:

1. that is from THIS blog, on Blogger. i didn't start this blog until the end of March. i still had the livejournal.

i just checked over at livejournal and in the first three months of 2009 i blogged 113 times.

113 + 296 = 409

that's a little over one post every day for a whole year......... i feel pretty good about myself. some people may look at it like, "wow, she has no life. she blogged 409 times last year!" but no. i look at it like, "wow, look at the interesting life that i lead! i just want to tell everyone about it!!"

or i guess it could be, "she has no friends so she has to blog more than once a day."

but, there are some days where i don't blog at all! that means that other days i blog way more than once.

remember that week last august where i blogged 22 times? yeah. there are seven days in a week last time i checked. not 22. that's like, almost a whole extra february.

ooo wouldn't it be great if there were two februarys!?!? then i would have two birthdays a year!!!!

OH!!! here's something that i want to talk about. it's important, so listen closely.

you know how i like to talk about the laws that i will put in place once i am president? WELL, i've thought of a new one.

let's review them:

1. drive-thru post offices
2. alphabetized grocery stores

AND - WAIT FOR IT.......

3. every person working in this country will be entitled to a PAID HOLIDAY on their birthday

yes. you know how every employer is different with what they consider "holidays" and what they don't. there are the big ones like christmas, thanksgiving. and then there are the weird ones like 4 july, labor day.

WELL. that will stay the same. what will change, is that ON YOUR BIRTHDAY you will get another holiday.

so say a company gives their employees 7 holidays a year. well MY LAW would give them 8, because everyone has a birthday, right? it doesn't matter if you're part time or full time - you'll get the birthday holiday.

will this be a day off for school children? NO. stay in school! get an education. it's the most valuable thing you'll ever have.

BUT, say a high schooler works a part time job after school and it's their birthday, they will still have the holiday from work, but not from school.

isn't this a great plan? i think so. i felt totally brillz when i thought of it. i think we've got three great new laws that the american people will be thrilled about. except maybe not postal workers because now they'll have to mind a drive-thru as well as normal duties.

eh, they're government workers. maybe i'll give them all a raise. then more people will want to become postal workers, and they can hire specific people to ONLY work the drive-thru. that way there will be sufficient staff coverage at both the walk-in postal window, the mail sorting room, and the drive-thru.

it'll be like a fast food restaurant. there will be people working for JUST the front and JUST the drive-thru. i think it could totally work. and it could be really efficient if it works well.

BUT ONLY mail pick-up. if you have to do ANYTHING other than pick up your mail - go inside.

man, i can't wait until i am president. you should be excited too. i'm also going to do things like

1. abolish the death penalty
2. legalize gay marriage
3. make guns illegal

yep that's right - illegal. do i think people should have the right to own a firearm? no. why does anyone need a gun hanging around in their house? to protect themselves? well, if nobody owned a gun, then nobody would be afraid of having to protect their family from "those gun-crazy neighbors."

people might not support me in that. but, we'll really play up the birthday holiday during the campaign.

i'm also going to support a prison system more like Norway. or, Scandinavia in general. their belief is that, "If you treat people badly, they will behave badly. Anyone can be a citizen if we treat them well, respect them, and give them challenges and demands."

great. now that's we've once again cleared up my presidential campaign.... let's move on.

SO.

i went to bed tuesday morning at 8:30am. set my alarm for 11:45am.

woke up at 12:05pm. i had a new voicemail. it was Diane saying that staff meeting was not going to be at 12:30pm because there was another meeting in the meeting room. she would let me know when we were ready to meet.

all i heard was, "julie, go back to sleep! we're not having staff meeting right now!"

so, i went back to sleep.

and didn't wake up again until 4pm. i saw that Diane had called me again at 1pm, to let me know that staff meeting was happening now. but, i never even woke for that call. the phone was right next to my bed! and i didn't even hear it. and, wow, i slept great!

i woke up at 4pm feeling quite refreshed and happy. spent some time online. then made a pot of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal and sat down with Ruby to watch some Entourage. i have one episode left of season 2.

the end of season 2 is prime Ari Gold material. he's so freaking good. Jeremy Piven. i would marry him if he asked. (fyi, jeremy..)

now, it's 11.16p. i'm getting hungry again for supper. i think i will have my leftover sub from when i visited my dad on monday. that sounds good.

and probs watch some more Entourage.

i didn't get to the post office today. i will go tomorrow. i should have some Netflix!! here's what i'm getting:

1. The Accidental Husband (YEP.)
2. Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
3. Tell Me You Love Me, season 1, disc 1 (Andrew's recommendation)


OH OH OH OH OH!!!!!!!!!!!

guess what i ALSO did today?!?!?!?!?!! omg, you're going to be so proud. I AM so proud. i have completed one of my New Year's resolutions. which one, you ask?

1. wear more red plaid shirts

YEP. that's right friends. i bought a red plaid shirt this afternoon. online. okay, so i technically don't have it yet and i'm putting my faith and trust in the USPS that i do get it. but still. it's out of my hands.

i'm just amazing. 5 january and one resolution checked off. nice. AND, the shirt has a ruffle on it. so yeah. that should be two resolutions:

1. wear more red plaid shirts
2. wear more ruffles

but, i didn't. i'm pretty excited about it. once it arrives, i'll let you know. and i'll post a picture of me WEARING the red plaid shirt. totally hott, right?

i was youtubeing 'crash kings' today and found this amazingly awesome fantastical video that i must share with you.

i re-read my crazy blog entry about Tony from last night and realized that i said one of the reasons i loved him was because he played the clav. and today during my re-read i thought, "i wonder if there are any great videos of him playing." hence my youtube searching.

and i found one. and it rocks. the video is called, "Evolution of Guitar Rock - With No Guitars." because the clav is essentially an electric guitar in the shape of a piano.

or, not just in the shape of a piano. but IT IS a piano. or, a keyboard. it'd be kind of funny to watch someone try and play a huge, rectangular guitar.

but no, it's a guitar that is a piano. and it's called the CLAVINET. NOT what i played in the school band. that was a CLARINET. (ugh. the clarinet.)

ANYWAYS. it's an awesome video. he's got the clavinet on top of his normal keyboard. and Crash Kings play popular rock songs, and you hear the electric guitar, but it looks like he's playing the keyboard. it's very strange. but very beautiful. and you get some great shots of his totally hott tattoo on his left hand. if you don't watch the whole video, just watch like, 30 seconds. just so you can see how cool and crazy it is.

ok. is that all?

i like how each of my entries from my awake overnight began with, "i don't really have anything to tell you" and then i went on blogging for like, two straight hours.

i kind of always manage to tell you things. i don't know if you read them. or if you particularly care. but, i guess that's the point of a blog? to write about yourself.

oh, is that the point? i've only been doing this for five years.

i hope i look good in red plaid. what if i look terrible? will that be considered a failed resolution? or just a bummer resolution? i guess a bummer one. because, i will have completed it.

actually, the resolution clearly states that i want to "wear more red plaid shirts" and not just, "buy a red plaid shirt." so, i guess that would be considered a failed resolution.

step 1. buy red plaid shirt
step 2. wear red plaid shirt often

in order for the resolution to be considered complete, i will need to wear the red plaid shirt frequently. at least once a month. that will be 12 times in 2010.

but then again, it's my resolution. i guess i can change it. or not change it, but alter it to fit my daily lifestyle.

oh, i don't know. i guess there are no resolution police.

ooo that might make a good action movie. RESOLUTION POLICE. No resolution is too small. Opening New Year's Day 2012.

we'll need a great action/comedy during the year that everyone thinks the world will end. don't you agree? i think Resolution Police will star Owen Wilson.

here's how the trailer will go down:

FADE IN:

INT. NANCY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY

NANCY sits at her kitchen table, staring at the Snickers bar that lies in front of her. She is middle-aged, wearing a flowery printed blouse and yellow cardigan. She is plain, yet recognizable.

NANCY (V.O.)
I know I shouldn't eat this candy bar. I promised myself. I made the resolution. Come on, Nancy, it's New Year's Day and you're already having this debate. There should be no debate. How am I going to last a whole year when I can barely last one day? I knew I couldn't do this; it was a joke to even make a resolution this year. I never keep them -

We hear a loud CRASH from the other room. Nancy quickly looks to see what it was.

INTERCUT - INT. FRONT HALLWAY/KITCHEN

A MAN stands on Nancy's front door, which he has just broken down. He is wearing a SWAT team uniform. He stands with his hands on his hips. Only his eyes move to look in the kitchen.

MAN
Nancy, you gonna eat that Snickers bar?

NANCY
Uh, um, I was thinking about it.

The Man walks into the kitchen, takes the Snickers bar off the table and walks out while saying:

MAN
Not if I have anything to do about it.

As he walks away, we see the words 'Resolution Police' printed in white letters on the back of his uniform.

Nancy sits, puzzled.


END TITLES.

it's really just a teaser. i see Margo Martindale playing Nancy. she's the lady in the "american tourist alone in paris" segment from Paris Je'Taime.

i don't really know if that script format is right. i just kind of winged it from what i remember. i can totally picture Owen Wilson in that role. he's gonna be great.

anyways. NOW that i don't have anything else to talk about... haha. after writing a script for a teaser trailer. i couldn't come up with a name for Owen. so, that's why he's just MAN. (should be HOTT MAN, am i right?!)

but, he'll need a partner, obvi. either an older, wiser partner. or, someone in some sort of minority group. hey, that's how it usually works.

maybe Morgan Freeman. he might fit well with Owen. they could be funny together.

OKAY. ANYWAYS. now it's 12:17am and i still haven't eaten supper. i'm hungry now. a lot.

so. i'd love some teaser trailer feedback, if you don't mind. i sometimes think that i would like to make it my job to direct trailers. like, piece them together. direct? edit? i don't know. make them. i would like to make movie trailers as my job. like Cameron Diaz in The Holiday. i bet it would be a hard job. but fun.

have a wonderful day. a wonderful wednesday. i'll talk to you later!!


<3>

"6am now you're in hollywood"

so, it's not exactly 6am, but it's pretty close.

6:17am!!!!! we haven't been up like this together for a long time.

i've been watching entourage and taking a series of one-minute power naps. they work! every other minute, you sleep for a minute. so, in ten minutes, you've slept five! but, it's barely sleeping because it's only a minute. but it works. and i think i have second wind right now.

Courtney will be in at 8. man, i'll be happy to see her.

ok. i thought i had a second wind. but now i can barely move again.

the subject of the entry is a quote from a Julian Casablancas song.

ok. i just took a long break.

7:08am! almost there.

i really don't think i have anything else to say. crazy, right?

i'm excited to see Ruby.

man. i'm tired. i'll set my alarm for staff meeting. but, i'm not promising anything. if i go to sleep at 8:30am and sleep until noontime. that's 3.5 hours of sleep. that's not very much.

then i'd be awake until at least 4pm. and then i could go back to sleep again.

man it makes me sad to think about how interrupted my sleeping normally is. it's no wonder that whenever i'm home i'm so amazed at how well i sleep. there's no doors slamming. no chance of the house alarm going off. no phone calls.

7:15am.

eyes are getting heavy again. it's light out! that's a good sign. never have i been so happy to see daylight.

eh, that's not true. there have been plenty of nights where the daylight meant i could finally go to sleep. like when i worked in the Airport Lounge. or when i was up at night with the new baby.

it was crazy what happened to Bill in True Blood when he went out in the daytime. man, no wonder vampires sleep underground. that's sometimes how i feel too when i walk in the sun. but i'm glad i can sleep in my flannel sheets and i don't have to sleep in a coffin.

i'm hungry. i wish kerianne were here so we could go get breakfast!

man. i just did like, a super shift in the APL. 11pm to 8am. well, i shouldn't speak too soon. it's still only 7:21.

ok. i'm out. i'll talk to you all later. today? possibly. i have no idea what day it is right now. it feels like monday because i haven't slept. but i suppose technically it's tuesday.

my leg hurts. i can't wait to get off this couch. and into my BED BED BED!!!!! i think i speak for Ruby and myself when i say that i have the best bed in the whole world. although, i'm sure that's a point that most people would argue.

uh oh. i just hardcore sneezed like 5 times in a row. i hope i'm not getting one of my famous, "haven't slept all night colds." i freaking hate those.

7:26am.

this is like, up to the minute live blogging. but it's not really live because when you read it, it will be past all of these times.

7:37am!!! i just took some time to update facebook. slash check to see who's up. and also twitter. there were four new tweets:

1. two from my dad
2. one from aliya
3. one from julian casablancas

i just had to go downstairs. MAN. you don't realize how tired you are until you have to walk up a steep flight of stairs. now i'm ready to crash.

7:41!! Courtney's almost here. !!!

i need to brush my teeth very badly. and also take a shower.

hey!! guess what's in less than two weeks!!?!?!?!!?? THE GOLDEN GLOBES. i haven't decided how i'm celebrating yet. probably right here - in this very lounge. aw man.

awww i can here Ruby running around!!! she's awake!!! she knows i'm coming home soon!!! and she's ready for breakfast, i bet. she's always ready for her next meal. i miss her so much!!!

did i do a blog update about Tony? or was that a one-minute power nap dream? i can't totally remember. i think i was in love with Tony last night. i might have been blogging in between the one-minute power naps. hold on, i'll check.

wow. i did blog about Tony. and also being up at 4am. but, when i was reading the entry, i couldn't really remember writing it. it made pretty good sense. i mean, as much sense as these entries make.

i feel like the brightness of my screen keeps changing. maybe my eyes are going crazy.

i would say my current state is half vampire, half zombie.

OK. i just invented TWO new words.

1. zompire
2. vambie

half zombie, half vampire. i kind of like zompire better. but vambie sounds more sexy. i don't feel sexy right now, so i guess i'm a zompire.

i just twittered this information, and if you're reading from my blog, you will find it to your left.

7:55am!!!!

this house does make a lot of strange noises in the middle of the night. maybe Roger was up with me. i don't know. but there were multiple times during the middle of the night where i looked behind myself because i thought someone (or something...) was there. i'm serious. but don't tell the residents because that will freak them out.

well. 7:58am. i guess i should start packing up my stuff. my one-person sleepover is done. i'm very excited to sleep now. although, i know this will screw up my "sleep schedule" for a while.

remember there was that time in the spring of my 3rd year of college where i couldn't go to sleep before like, 5 or 6am? that was weird. i can still remember how weird that was. and it was soooo hott. and muggy. MUGGY. it wasn't hott, it was MUGGY which is worse. that was a strange time in my life.

AAAAHHHHHHH 8AM ON THE DOT!!!!!!! on the nose. wow. at times it seemed like it would never come. but here it is. and now i don't know what to do with it.

i guess i'll go downstairs and see Courtney!

thank you for staying up with me all night. even though you probably were asleep all night and are reading this during the day when i'm asleep. but it was nice having someone to talk to at all hours again. i'm always glad we have this time together.

AND NOW. i will say goodnight. one thousand times goodnight. to you, to yours, to tony, to this house, to roger - to everyone.

sleep tight. have wonderful days. wonderful ruby tuesdays.


love.love.

3:37am

i'm finding it quite hard to stay awake right now. my eyes are watery.

i'm cold. but i think that if i put on my sweatshirt, i will fall asleep.

quietly listening to Crash Kings right now. they have been my main listen since seeing them live. i just love every song so much. it's hard to believe.

i really like '14 Arms.' it's very screamy and angry sounding. which surprises me because i like it. i really like all the different turns the song takes.

and when i was wasting time on youtube, i happened across a Crash Kings interview. and i was taken aback by how much Tony's speaking voice doesn't sound like his singing voice. his voice is so soft spoken and raspy when he's speaking. but clear and confident in the music. it's awesome.

i love him. i love

1. his soft spoken speaking voice
2. his red plaid shirt
3. his tattoo
4. that he can totally rock the clavinet
5. that his name is Antonio
6. he's from Boston
7. those glasses he sometimes wears
8. that kara and i were in line in front of his parents at the concert
9.
10.

those last two are TBD. no, i know what #9 is.

9. that he wrote the song 'Come Away,' which is a beautiful song about winter.

how many beautiful winter songs do you know without them being "christmas songs?" not too many, i bet.

now that leaves #10. i'll save that one for when i see them live again.

if i ever meet tony should i tell him that i had a random dream that we were doing tequila shots together? is that something you tell a rockstar when you meet them?

3:54am.

facebook and twitter are boring in the middle of the night. nobody is updating anything. maybe i'll update a million times and then when everyone signs on in the morning they will be BOMBARDED with julie.

that's a great idea.

i moved 'Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement' to number 2 in my Netflix queue. you are allowed to be jealous now.

i've never seen it!! i bet you can't believe that. but it's true. i thought they had gotten a different princess. but no! it's still Anne Hathaway. i had no idea.

ah ha!!! 4am!!!! on the nose. on the dot.

i can't wait to sleep all day.

man. i have gotten so lame. i can barely stay awake for 18 hours. that should be a breeze. piece of cake. no sweat. but right now it's like the hardest thing ever. and i still have 3 hours and 55 minutes to go.

ok. i'm cold. sweatshirt on.

i can't believe i forgot to pack my eye drops.

after i found out i had to stay up all night, i ran back up to my apartment IMMEDIATELY put on a pot of coffee, grabbed my backpack, packed my laptop, some dvds, paper, a pen, some snacks, water, blank cds, a book and some chapstick. it's like i'm camping out. but minus the sleeping part of camping. although, who can really sleep when you're outside? think of all the deer.

ok. 4:11am. i think that's all for now. i'll talk to you again soon.

be well.


<3

with a dream and my cardigan...

um, great. guess where i am right now...

the second floor lounge.

guess what i'm doing right now...

staying up all night.

guess what i was excited about earlier this evening...

going to sleep.

guess what i won't be doing until 8am...

going to sleep.

*

i had a great day that quickly turned into a not-so-great night. and now i have to be up until 8am. it's currently 12:49am.

but thanks to all those hard hours put in when i worked in the Airport Lounge, i am pretty good at killing time during the middle of the night. i think we all remember those days where i would blog for three hours straight.

i fondly remember those days.

poor Tuesday. i can hear her running around upstairs. i was really looking forward to cuddling with her tonight. i was away all day. and she was alone all day, and now she has to be alone all night.

SO - let me tell you about my day!!


i woke up at 10am. early. at around 10:30am, right in the middle of my waking up/getting ready routine, the phone rang. it was work. they said that the plow guys were here and i needed to move my car. great. just what i wanted to do. (except for not really).

so, i pull on my boots and put on a sweatshirt and head outside. brush off my car in 5 seconds and pull out onto the street. and then wait for about 25 minutes while they plow and sand and shovel the driveway. it took a long time. and now my "getting up early and getting out the door" plan was not going to happen.

so, i got back upstairs and continued getting ready. i was all set to be out the door by 11:45. i went out to my car, only to find that i was blocked in.

so i went and found the person who was blocking me in and asked her to move her car, please. she was busy and asked if i would do it. i said yes.

then i had to decide where to move her car. there were no other spaces in the driveway that weren't going to be in the way for when the dump truck came. so i decided that i would move her car, move my car, and then move her car into the space where my car was.

and that's what i did. that felt like it took a long time. because it was a lot of getting into cars and getting out of them again. i'm not a good car mover. i could never be a valet attendant.

anyways. THEN i was finally on my way.

and i went to the post office. mailed out a bunch of lovely things. and a bill. which was not so lovely. (but worth it, because it was for the new jeans i got).

THEN, i needed to go get my oil changed and my headlight fixed. so i headed over to Jiffy Lube.

i pulled right in and talked to the guy. told him i needed the headlight fixed and he seemed excited about fixing it.

i sat in the waiting room with everybody else while they worked on my car. i like it because they have a giant glass window in the waiting room that overlooks into the car fixing room, so you can see what they're doing. it's like a huge machine. a well-oiled machine. and also like a ballet. and auto ballet. i really like watching other people do their jobs.

so, Scott checked me all into the system. again, we figured out what i needed. he said that i really needed a transmission flush and a radiator something so the car doesn't freeze up. they were $129 and $79 dollars, and i said that i would have to wait.

then he said i also really needed a new engine filter, or something, and he showed me how dirty it was. i okay'd that one, which only set me back an extra $20.

so, i sat in the waiting room, watching them dance around my car and then Scott finally came out again.

SCOTT: Ok, you're all set.
JULIE: Great!
SCOTT: The only thing we couldn't do was the headlight. It was the only one we had out of stock.
JULIE: ......Really?
SCOTT: Yeah, sorry about that.
JULIE: Ugh, okay.
SCOTT: I'll tell you what - you head down to Advance Auto and tell 'em Scott sent you - they're take care of you down there.
JULIE: Really!? That's great! Thanks so much.

now, i really didn't want to head over to Advance Auto, but i didn't want to get pulled over again. and i was pretty mad that Jiffy Lube didn't have my headlight. the only one that was out of stock? come on.

that's like when i went for my brake job last winter and the guy was like,

MIDAS GUY: On most cars this part costs $20 a piece, but on yours for some reason it's $70 each.

oh, great, thanks for that uplifting info.

geeze. do i not have the cheapest, worst car in the world? yeah. then why does it suck so much to have it fixed???

UGH!

anyways. so, i headed down to Advance Auto. went inside. it's like a store full of car parts and i have no idea what's going on or what anything means. so, i head to the cash register.

AJ: How can I help you?
JULIE: Hi. So, Scott from Jiffy Lube sent me over because I need to have a headlight replaced, but they were all out of stock and he said you would have it.
AJ: Make and model.
JULIE: Hyundai Accent.
AJ: Year?
JULIE: 2001.
AJ: High beam or low beam?
JULIE: ........
AJ: Is it the same?
JULIE: .....Low beam.
AJ: (goes into the shelves and picks out the bulb, brings it back and i buy it for $10.99) Now, is Scott going to put this in for you?
JULIE: Ummm.....I...don't....know.....Can....you....do....it?
AJ: No, we're not allowed to do that kind of stuff.
OTHER EMPLOYEE: What kind of stuff?!?!!?
AJ: Fixing headlights and stuff!
OTHER EMPLOYEE: That's not true! We're allowed to do headlights as long as it's not in back of anything!!!
AJ: I don't think so! That's not what I heard!
OTHER EMPLOYEE: Well, I heard they were losing business down there and now we're allowed to do things like that.
AJ: Are you sure?
OTHER EMPLOYEE: That's what I read!!!!
JULIE: (standing there totally confused)
AJ: Ok, ok, alright, I'll go out and see what I can do.
JULIE: Um, that's great! Thank you!
AJ: (goes to get his coat)

and then we head out to the car.

AJ: Ok, pop the hood.
JULIE: Ok! Thank you so much for doing this!
AJ: Yep.

and then he proceeds to fiddle around with it for like, 10 minutes. and he finally looks to me and says,

AJ: Yeah, I can't do this, my fingers are too big. I can't get around to unscrew it.
JULIE: Um....oh.
AJ: You'll have to take it back to Scott. I'm sorry.
JULIE: .....Well, thank you so much for trying. I really appreciate it.


and so - i left yet another car place with no headlight fixed. by this time it was like, 1pm. i needed to get on the road and so i decided that i would not go back to see Scott.

TWO CAR PLACES and neither of them could fix a headlight. i was pretty frustrated.

but! i stopped at Jake's and got a coffee and a raspberry muffin and headed on my way to Hudson, NH to see my dad!

it was a good drive. good thing it was daytime and sunny so i didn't need my headlights.

arrived at his house around 2:30ish...maybe. i don't really know. maybe 3ish.

SO, the plan was this: GET A CARDIGAN FOR KARA.

(back story)

(this may seem unrelated, but i promise it's not.)

a couple weekends ago i was on the website for the high-end, Los Angeles boutique clothing store Ten Over Six. now, this was no random act.

Jason Schwartzman's wife Brady (a.k.a. not me), works at this store. it totally looks like a super cute store. a pair of sunglasses costs like, $80. what could be better? but, it's all totally hip and trendy. like, people who wear fancy party dresses with work boots. ya know? yeah.

so, i was on this website and ended up on their blog. i read a headline that said something about Target, and decided to see what it was about.

i click on the link and it takes me to this picture of Brady looking all gorgeous and hip and modeling some clothes for this line called Rodarte, which will be available at Targs.

so then i start looking into this clothing line more by going to target.com. and they are selling the clothes that she's modeling! no way. the clothes are "designer looks, but without the runway price." or some kind of catchy "wow, i can afford this!" slogan. they have some really cute dresses. and all of the dresses are worn with this lacy cardigan over it.

(if you click on that link above, Brady is wearing the lacy cardigan in nude. it also comes in yellow and black.)

it's very pretty.

SO. flash forward to this past weekend when i was home.

Kara had asked me to bring home some dresses that she could possibly wear to a wedding that she's going to this upcoming weekend. i brought home the dress i wore to Kerianne's wedding in Ireland (black) and the dress i wore to Amy's wedding and also the my Oscar/Birthday party (royal blue).

kara and i had a fashion show one night and she modeled the dresses for me.

after long debate, we both decided that the royal blue dress looked better, and worked better. we had to take everything into consideration, the shoes she had, the jewelry she had, etc.

and the hard part, was that it's a strapless dress (sweetheart cut) and it's winter time. so, she needed to wear SOMETHING over the dress, but the question was WHAT.

and then - i thought of it. the picture of Brady wearing the lacy cardigan.

and i was suddenly brilliant:

JULIE: There is a lacy, black cardigan at Targs that you can wear. It's really pretty and you can wear it with a thin belt. And then you can still wear your black flat shoes. And, instead of black nylons, wear black tights. And wear your fancy black jewelry that you wore with that hott pink dress you have. OMG, you'll look amazing.

i semi felt like Stacy London.

so then i went to my computer and immediately looked up the cardigan at Targs and also the picture of Brady to show Kara. she was pleased with the look. and we went to the "search your store" option to see if the cardigan was in the store in somersworth, nh - the one closest to our house.

it wasn't.

in fact, it wasn't anywhere. it seemed that every store in new england was sold out of this cardigan. and there was not a buy it online option. strange.

but then we saw it: 'limited availability' in the targs in Smithfield, RI. kara lives in providence, so it was perf! the store was a short 7 miles away. great.

tension was high. would we be able to get the cardigan? would it still be there when she went back to school on monday? classic suspense story.

now, i had to make this look happen. i had it soooo set in my mind that Kara would look totally perfect at this wedding. we needed to get that cardigan.

so, i went back to my apartment on saturday night. and i continued searching. i entered my zip code and some targs came up that weren't showing up when we entered our maine zip.

NASHUA. nashua, nh also had 'limited availability.' YES.

i told kara this and immediately made plans to meet up with my dad on monday and go to the target.

FOR REALZ - out of new hampshire, massachusetts, and rhode island, the only two targets to have this cardigan were in nashua and smithfield. was it fate? would we be able to get the sweater??!??

continue reading!!!!!!


so, now me and my dad are on our way to the target. anticipation is high.

we pull into the parking lot. out of the car. into the store. cart. women's section. Rodarte section.

my dad spots it first. the black cardigan. not just THE black cardigan, but THE ONLY black cardigan there. and guess what? it's in the right size.

DAD: The only one in North America.

i quickly inspect it. yep - it's great. so pretty. lacy. black. fancy. chic. in the cart it goes. and i text kara, 'GOT THE CARDIGAN!'

it was a great moment. finding the cardigan. i really felt excited.

this cardigan got 14 5-star reviews on target.com. the people have spoken - and they love it. and walking around with that cardigan in our basket, i felt just a tad cooler than everyone else in the store. (true story)

i also got kara and pair of tights. could not find a belt. or, the best which is also featured in the Rodarte section. the "bow belt." i'm still currently brainstorming ideas about the belt.

but! i will be packing up this cardigan and the tights and mailing them to kara. to arrive in maine on friday. and kara will go to that wedding look super hip and chic and without a doubt the best dressed there. (besides maybe the bride)

what a great story, right! a success story!!! people love those. when the underdog comes out on top. you'll see Cardigan Story turned into a movie one day.

a trying tale of a father and daughter in search of the perfect cardigan. will they find it? or will fate have another path?

(here's a pic of the cardi in black)

i think i would like Harrison Ford to play my dad. i would like Emmy Rossum to play me. i think.

if i knew of a 'paint program for mac' then i'd create a fake movie poster. i enjoy doing those. oh, i guess that would be like, photoshop. hm. which i don't have. and costs like, a lot. ah well.

i picture the black lacy cardigan on a hanger, hanging from a tree, in a corn field. blue skies and a worn, white fence in the background. on the bottom of the poster, a picture of Harrison and Emmy running through Target like someone's chasing them. (because clearly it will be an action movie) and then in some sort of script font, it will say, Cardigan Story.

directed by Michael Bay?

i don't know. sorry. that was LONG story. i think we should move on.

so, we bought some other items at targs. i needed ruby tuesday food. and black eyeliner.

then we left.

i had told my dad all about my headlight fiasco and he said we could stop at the place he takes his car to see if they would put in the headlight.

this would be try #3 to get my headlight fixed. and it was getting dark....

we pull in. talk to the guy. "sure, have a seat in the waiting room and we'll fix that for you."

GREAT. we sit for like, 5 minutes. guy comes in. "all set!" EVEN BETTER. they fixed my headlight. AND didn't charge anything to put it in.

which worked out better than if Jiffy Lube had fixed it. Scott had originally told me that a headlight would be an extra $18.99.

i then ended up buying the headlight at Advance Auto for $10.99.

and then this guy put it in for no charge.

THANK YOU to that guy who put in my headlight. in Hudson, NH. at that car place. you, along with some lucky shopping at targs, have made my day. i truly appreciated you today.

and then we went back to my dad's house. ordered some food. ate supper. my dad was going to go grocery shopping after i left, but i said, "no, let's go now!"

so, we drove over to stop and shop. i took my own car so i could leave right from there. did some shopping. drove across the street to Dunkin. got a coffee for the road. said goodbye to my dad. and was on my way.

i had a great day with him. we always have a lot of fun. <3

my drive home was fine. i was able to take my time a little bit, which was nice. and the road conditions were fine, which was a nice change.

i arrived home around 8:30pm. quickly tried on the cardigan. loves it. it's super cute and nice. fancy, but casual. designer look without the runway price.

fed Tuesday. she was so happy to see me!!!!

hung around online until 9:25pm. then i got the call. "julie, sorry for having to call you....but can you come to work early? we may have a long night ahead of us."

and the rest is history.

2:30am. currently. still in the lounge on the second floor. i'm tired. i drank some coffee. and i'm killing this box of Cheez-its.

i was excited because there is a television with cable in here. and i thought tonight was the night that Julian Casablancas was performing on Letterman. but, i checked his twitter and it's not until wednesday night. i'm still excited! but i will just have to wait until the next day to catch it on youtube.

i brought lots of Entourage with me. the rest of season 2 and all of season 3.

but now, the challenge will be this: making it to the post office. originally my plan was to go before staff meeting at 12:30. but now, since i won't be going to sleep until after 8am, i think the plan might change. the window at the post office doesn't open until like, 10am, i think. and i doubt i'll be able to stay awake just hanging out for two hours after not sleeping all night.

i could go to the post office after staff meeting. or i could just go on wednesday.

i am so excited about buying the cardigan. and now i have to mail it away.

anyways. 2:38am.

i think i might make some itunes playlists. and then watch entourage.

man. i'm really tired. i'm super bummed that i'm not sleeping tonight. i was actually getting on a pretty good sleep schedule. i had been going to bed around 2am or so. that's early.

i really love that i have a cd burner now. or, one that works. i've burned a couple cd's already. super fun. and it takes like, 5 minutes! the one in my old computer would take 20 minutes, and then stop working halfway through the burning process.


ok. here's what i want to do.

take all the pictures i have of the airport lounge. enlarge them to be really big. especially the ones with the gorgeous sunrise. then paste them around me. if i recreate the airport lounge, i think it would be easier to stay awake. or maybe i just need a super cute pub safety officer doing security walk-throughs.

yeah, i think that second one will be enough.

ooooohhhhh. so many heart breaking, bittersweet memories.


i mean, i'm supposed to stay up in this lounge. right? but, what if i need to go downstairs to the kitchen and make a bagel sandwich?!?!?! am i allowed?!?

2:55am.

i think i'll waste some time on youtube.

see you in a little while. have good sleeps.


<3

"all the little pieces of the world come together so well"

oh hi!! i didn't see you there!

i figured i'd start my first post of 2010 with my favorite greeting. it's just the best greeting. you have to admit.

so, wow. it's a new year. i had a great new year's eve. let me tell you about it!!

i woke up thursday morning and it was snowying. (that's a typo, but i'll keep it. because, it was both snowy AND snowing, so technically it makes sense.) i was bummed about the weather because i really wanted to go home. and i hate when the weather controls my life.

so i decided that this hatred overpowered my common sense to not drive in the snow. and i packed very quickly left.

i met two of my coworkers at the bottom of my stairs. they were very worried about me, since i was driving.

DIANE: I just came in and the roads are very slippery.
SUE: Well, you have snow tires, don't you?
JULIE: Nope. I have 2nd gear and low gear.
DIANE: And a shovel?
SUE: And a scraper?
JULIE: Scraper.
DIANE: Have you called someone to let them know you're leaving?
JULIE: No, but I will.
DIANE: Good. Do you have a hat, mittens and scarf?
JULIE: Yes, and warm socks.
SUE: Do you have a snack?
JULIE: ...Yes.
DIANE: Ok, well, call us when you get there.
JULIE: Yes mom.

funny. and nice. they were worried. i called my mom when i got in the car to let her know i was leaving.

and the drive out of lebanon was TERRIBLE. the roads were super slippery and slushy. but, i got on I-89 south and it was much better. and i was able to go like, 45 mph until Sutton, NH.

and then we stopped. and there was an accident. i think a 2 car and a truck accident. and we were stopped in front of the 89 south rest stop for about 30 minutes. i took this time to update my facebook status.

now, this was the absolute worst possible place for a car accident during a snow storm, and i didn't realize this until we started driving again.

between exits 9 and 10 on 89 is the longest space of miles. meaning, the most distance. why can't i articulate this right? the most space between exits on I-89 is between exits 9 and 10. there?

sometimes i'll be driving north and get to that space and think, 'wait a sec, where am i? did i pass exit 17?' it feels like you're driving nowhere.

so, when there's an accident on a snowy day, there are no cars passing through, meaning the ground gets covered with snow. also, it means that no plows or sanders pass through because there are no on or off ramps.

so when i started driving again, there was a clean coat of snow and slush on the highway. and it was bad. i actually didn't think i would make it. and i kept thinking i was going to die. and my two thoughts were:

1. would it totally ruin my fantastic month if i died on the last day?
OR
2. have i had a fantastic month because i'm going to die on the last day?

and then i kept thinking,

1. oh crap, i haven't made a "funeral playlist" on my new laptop
AND
2. i want all my teal items to go to Kara

there. mini-will. all my teal items go to Kara. why? because everything teal is automatically my favorite thing. because i love teal. and Kara is also my favorite. out of everything. so, naturally, i think it makes sense.

anyways. so, back to my drive.

i had to get to exit 9. i knew that once i passed exit 9, things would get better, because they would have hopefully cleared the main roads.

and i was semi-right. it took about 30 minutes to go the five miles to get to exit 9. but once i did, things got better.

normal time on I-89 = 1 hour
this time on I-89 = 2.5 hours

it was a long time. once i got to concord and on that long road to route 202, things became fine. and it actually went by very quickly.

once i got to rochester, nh, it was like a joke. i was actually laughing to myself because the roads were so fine and clear. and i was angry that these people had no idea the horrible drive i just had.

anyways. i got home.

my mom came home shortly after. i helped her unpack groceries.

then i made plans with Andrew! and around 5:45 left to go meet up with him. so i get in my car, turn on the lights and BAM - a headlight goes out.

JULIE: Son of a gun!!

i say to myself. and then i remember that it is new year's eve and there will be a ton of police out. so, i go inside and get my mom's keys. and i tell her that i'm going to take her car. she says okay.

so now i really leave. and i meet andrew at our normal meeting-up place - Hollywood Video.

and we head to Barrington, NH to go see Sherlock Holmes.

SHERLOCK HOLMES REVIEW:

At first, I wasn't sure about this movie. All the little things about it didn't seem to fit together. Some parts were big, loud, and epic. Others, were in slow-motion and very detail oriented. The main theme of the film was also very quiet, which I thought didn't really fit with anything else. I still think the music didn't really fit, which was the first time I actually noticed that it didn't really make sense. Which is why I decided that it didn't fit.

The rest of the film definitely fell into place as it got more into the story. It definitely had a different feel than other action movies. Slash comedy movies.

And, one thing that immediately jumped out at me was a reference to Alice and Wonderland. They talked about "going down the rabbit hole" and as soon as they said this, I thought to myself, "wait a sec, was that book written yet?" And I thought about it for probably a whole minute. And I looked it up later on, and YES, it was written. So, it made sense. Don't worry.

It was very funny. Jude and Robert went very well together. I REALLY wanted them to make out. Rachel McAdams was kind of weird, both me and Andrew thought that. Her voice sounded weird and high-pitched. What was her purpose? Can't really say. It seems like she would have more of a role in the sequel.

Back to the music. You know how with each of the Harry Potter movies the main theme has gotten bigger, louder, and fuller? Like, if you watch the most recent trailer compared to the first movie trailer, the main theme at the end is very different sounding. It changes with the films. The films get darker and more complex, and so does the theme. Brillz, right? Yep.

Well, even though Sherlock Holmes was only one movie (compared to 6 HP's), it seemed like it covered every aspect on the scale of epic-ness. From the very slowed down, detail oriented scenes, to the huge explosions. There was lots of everything. And I really wanted the main theme to build with the film, but I never felt that it did. There was lots of big music UNDER the main theme. But I was never satisfied.

Now, what I'm about to tell you may shock you. Are you sitting down? Ok. Ready. The movie score was composed by.... Hans Zimmer. I KNOW. I know!!!!!! Hans!! Zimmer!!! One of my favorite, and the best movie composers ever. I have THREE movie scores on my laptop by Hans Zimmer.

1. Black Hawk Down (probably my favorite movie score ever.)
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (um, Davy Jones' theme, HELLO!!?!??!)
3. The Dark Knight (scored with James Newton Howard. GREAT score.)

I mean, the guy can score movies. He also scored Angels and Demons, which I should probably purchase because I LOVED it. But, I regret to admit that I was disappointed with Sherlock Holmes.

But, all in all, I really liked the movie. And I'm giving it FOUR STARS.

Sherlock Holmes - ****

(i also thought the opening and closing credits were strange. more the opening then the closing. it was a few minutes into the movie, which i totally love, but it was weak and quick, which i didn't love. i wanted:

wanted: BAM SHERLOCK HOLMES!!!! YEAH!!!!!! GET EXCITED!!!! BAM!!!!!!

actual: Oh yeah, this is Sherlock Holmes if you haven't figured that out already.

it wasn't very exciting. ok, that's all.)

moving on.

after the movie, we were hungry. it was 9ish pm. andrew asked what i wanted to eat and i told him that all throughout the movie all i could think of was eating a sandwich. which was true. and he said that he wanted a burrito, like always.

we settled on Margaritas, in dover, nh. i had chicken quesadillas and andrew had a chicken burrito. i also had a coconut lime margarita which was DELISH. andrew had some pina coladas, which at first he loved and was raving about, but by the end of the second one, he wasn't feeling it anymore. too creamy, he said.

then it was 10:30ish. we didn't know where to go. so, he started driving. he took us to Rye, NH to his favorite spot. EVER. it's a great spot. i had never been there before. a tiny spot overlooking the ocean. we heard the water, but couldn't really see it because it was dark. only illuminated by the moon, which was full. (and also a blue moon, btw.) we saw a barge, a rather large one. a large barge. (ha!) and decided that we would both like to:

1. go to the moon
and
2. work on a barge

in that order. because then, while we're on the barge staring up at the moon, we can recall all the good times up there. makes sense, right? i think so.

we didn't stay very long because it was totally freezing. so we went to Portsmouth, NH instead.

got a space right on Congress St. they were having a First Night thing, but it was pretty empty. we stayed there for like, a minute and then decided we didn't want to be at First Night. but, it was like, 11:55pm. so we had to do something cool.

so andrew said,

ANDREW: Let's go to the top of the parking garage.
JULIE: ...Okay.

and that's where we went. to the very top, open-air level. overlooking all the building tops. and the church steeple. and THAT'S where we rang in the new year. it was great. really great. we talked about what we want from this year. hopes. dreams. everything in between.

it was a great night. one of the best new year's.

then, he dropped me off and i went home!

(man i wish you could see Ruby Tuesday right now. she's squeezed in the space between the top of my stove and the shelf above my stove. i think she's on some sort of mission, but i'm not totally sure what's going on. before the top of the stove, she was in the cabinet and before that she was on top of the fridge.)

SO.

new year's day was great. it was spent in my pajamas hanging out with kara and my mom. we watched Four Christmases. funny! i was expecting it to be not funny. but it was really good. i liked it a lot more than i thought. Kristen Chenoweth and Reese Witherspoon?!!!? YES.

then kara went out to a friend's house and me and my mom went out to get pizza. Sal's Pizza. a new pizza place next to the new dunkin donuts in somersworth. by wal-mart and targs.

i really liked the pizza. my mom thought it wasn't as good as La Festa, in dover, nh. and that's my pizza review.

we got home and watched episodes of Glee. so good. my mom really likes the show. oh, it's so awesome. we watched 3 episodes.

then my mom went to bed. kara wasn't home yet. so i watched the Rocky marathon on Encore! YEP. ROCKY. MARATHON. i caught it at the end of Rocky 3 and watched about 3/4 of Rocky 4. i really liked the fourth one. i think i liked it better than the first one. it was faster paced, more drama and a really long montage set to a cheesy 80's song.

it makes me want to watch Rocky 2. and the first 3/4 of Rocky 3. the rest of Rocky 4. all of Rocky 5. and then all the rest of all the other Rocky's. i have no idea how many there are.

MAN, though. i was teary in Rocky 4! (when Apollo is killed!) spoiler alert. that was harsh. i also couldn't believe the house they were living in!!!! MAN. Rocky and Adrian moved up in the world. remember his little crap apartment in the first one? YEAH. now they like, live in a huge mansion. and they had a son! i was happy about that.

and Talia Shire still looked totally gorgeous. especially in the end of 3. i think she had on some rockin' blue eyeshadow. and i still think she has gorgeous skin. and that Robert Schwartzman looks sooo much like her. more than Jason does, i think.

anyways. Rocky = real good.

then Kara came home. we started season 1 of Entourage. she immediately liked it. unlike me, who didn't like it at first but then TOTALLY LOVED it.

and then at around 3am we went to bed.

i got up at 9:38am. got dressed. got ready. and then went to have breakfast with MARIA!!!!! yes. my bff. it was super nice. we went to Strafford Farms. classic breakfast place. so awesome seeing her and catching up with her. i always have the best time. we go together like pears and sweet tarts. i think that's what we used to say.

it was starting to snow and slush again when we were leaving. that was a bummer. the roads were fine though, UNTIL we entered Berwick, Maine. of course. it was like all the plows and sanders had the day off. maria said,

MARIA: I think the Berwickians see the plow as a sign of weakness.

i laughed really hard. great quote. one for the books. that's what they should put on the 'welcome to berwick' sign. instead of,

Welcome to Berwick! Home of Prime Tanning.

Prime Tanning closed. it's now a huge empty factory in the center of "town." they should change it to.

Hey, you're in Berwick! Where the snowplow is a sign of weakness.

that'd be more fitting.

anyways. then we got to Maria's house and i got a mini-piano recital given by Maria's little sister Joshie. she opened with the piano classic, Freight Train. and closed with another classic, Can You Feel the Love Tonight? it was awesome. i heart every member of that family. and i hope maria's older brother Dave is reading. he's usually one of my readers. Hi Dave! and Renee! and Maria?!

they're the best.

THEN, i went home. fell asleep on the couch, which i didn't mean to do. and left later than i wanted. as always.

it only took me 3 hours to get back. it's usually 2. the drive home was 3.5. my longest drive was last winter where i clocked in at 4 hours.

i was pretty much slip slidin the whole way. kind of scary. i listened to the Crash Kings cd a couple times through.

OH. and, my headlight is out, right? remember it went out on new year's eve? yeah. I GOT PULLED OVER. yep. right before the big traffic circle with the mcdonald's and wendy's on that road between 202 and 393.

here's what happened:

so, i'm going pretty slow because of the bad roads. and i'm coming to an intersection, and all of a sudden, this big SUV in front of me pulls over to the side of the road. WITHOUT a signal. and i get mad and think, "what is this guy doing? he's just sitting on the side of the road?" and so i go through the intersection and pass him and then he immediately pulls out behind me and puts on the blue lights. i didn't even know it was a police officer. i'm so bad at recognizing authority vehicles.

at first i think, "nah, that's not for me" and then decide that it is. so, i very carefully pull off to the side. where it is more slippery. and turn down the music. it's my fave Crash Kings song, Come Away (which, coincidentally is playing right now).

and then the police officer comes up to the car. i had already decided that i was going to pretend like i didn't know my light was out.

OFFICER: Hi, how are you?
JULIE: Good, how are you doing?
OFFICER: I'm pretty good. You have your license and registration on you?
JULIE: Sure. (take my license and registration out. i always want to remember to ask them what the problem is BEFORE getting these things out. but i never remember.)
OFFICER: It's because you have a headlight out.
JULIE: It's not? (i thought he said, "it's not because you have a headlight out.)
OFFICER: No, you do.
JULIE: Oh! Okay.
OFFICER: I wouldn't have pulled you over if you didn't!!
JULIE: Great!! Thanks for letting me know!
OFFICER: You still live on Abbott Street?
JULIE: Yep. That's where I'm headed right now.
OFFICER: Ok, I'll be right back with this. You sit tight.
JULIE: Great.

now, this guy was so sweet. and super nice. and had a great smile. and cute little glasses. i really liked him. BUT. i was worried that when he ran my license plates and license he would see that i MAY OR MAY NOT have an unpaid parking ticket from august. i'm neither confirming nor denying this. and i was SUPER freaking out the whole time he was gone.

but then he came back to the car, all smily and lovely.

OFFICER: Ok, you're all set!
JULIE: Thanks so much. Hey, do you know how the roads are on 89 north?
OFFICER: 89 north? Hm. Well, when I came to work they weren't so bad, and I would imagine they'd be pretty cleaned off since it's a main road. Not like these back roads.
JULIE: Ok, great. Thanks.
OFFICER: You drive safe!
JULIE: Thank you! You too!!

it was such a pleasant interaction. probably the best time i ever had being pulled over. here are all the times i've been pulled over:

1. license plate light out. wells, maine. weird guy. asked if i had an explosives or bazookas in the car. for realz.
2. headlight out. berwick, maine. young guy. thought i was going to lebanon, maine even after i said lebanon, new hampshire.
3. headlight out. (most recent)

not bad, eh? for having my license since my senior year in high school. anyways. nice police officer. if he's reading this, thanks for being so nice and smiley.


WOW. this is getting long. i've been straight blogging for over an hour. i'm really hungry! it's 12:51am monday morning and i havent' eaten supper yet!!! i should do that now.

i think that's all i have to tell you.

OH OH OH!!!!! i wanted to give you a dream update.

so, remember my dream from last week with Tony from the Crash Kings? and he was wearing that red plaid shirt which i'm now obsessed with? remember we talked about this? yeah. WELL. when Andrew and i were at Margarita's the other night, i was looking at the list of tequila brands and SUDDENLY it came back to me! the dream!!

remember how i said that i knew Tony was there, but that i couldn't remember what we were doing!? WELL.

we were doing tequila shots. YEP. and i saw the list of tequila and had a dream flashback.

i've never:

1. had a dream where i've done tequila shots before
and also
2. i've never had a shot of tequila

weird, right? that it would come in the dream about Tony from the Crash Kings wearing the red plaid shirt.

it was strange. and i explained the whole thing to Andrew, who also thought it was strange. so..yeah.

OK. i came back to work last night after a wonderful weekend at home and a horrible drive back and had to deal with a million things. it was super quiet and then BAM super crazy. and let's just say that i ended up talking to THREE MORE police officers that night. two of them at the house.

yeah. whatever.

and now, i'm done. i think i've blogged myself out. this is long. i apologize. i think it's pretty good though, no?

busy day on monday. going to get my oil changed and my headlight fixed. then heading to see my dad to make a trip to targs. excited about that.

ok! i hope you had a wonderful, safe new years!!! what did you do?!?! have a totes fun night, i hope.

have a great week! it's MONDAY!!!! that means the week is full of possibility. and EVER MORE SO because it's the first full week of a new year. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING could happen. let's hope it's ANY and EVERYTHING good.


"all the broken pieces of the world fit together again
when you're taking me home, you're taking me home."


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